National Ambient Air Quality Standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), in the United States, allowable levels of harmful pollutants set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in accordance with the Clean Air Act (CAA). The CAA established two types of standards for ambient air quality. Primary standards concern the minimum level of air quality necessary to keep people from becoming ill and therefore are aimed at protecting public health. The primary standards are intended to provide an adequate margin of safety for the public, which has been defined to include a representative sample of so-called sensitive populations, such as the elderly, children, and persons with asthma. The secondary standards are aimed at the promotion of public welfare and the prevention of damage to animals, plants, and property.

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) have been set for six principal pollutants known as criteria pollutants. These are carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter (airborne suspensions of extremely small solid or liquid particles), sulfur oxides, and ground-level ozone (ozone is not directly emitted into the air but is formed by sunlight acting on emissions of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds). There are two categories of particulate matter: that with dimensions of 10 micrometres (μm) or less (1 μm = 10−6 metre) and those of 2.5 μm or less. Each of the categories has different primary standards. NAAQS for criteria pollutants are performance rather than design standards: they set the performance levels to be achieved as opposed to specifying the equipment that needs to be installed to clean up air pollution.

Because air pollution problems vary from place to place throughout the United States, a regional concept was adopted for air pollution control through the establishment of air quality control regions. An air quality control region is defined by the EPA as an area with established pollution problems, common pollution sources, and characteristic weather. States were given responsibility for drawing up plans (state implementation plans) to attain the standards for the air quality regions within their boundaries. Individual states may have stronger pollution controls than listed by NAAQS. However, none can have weaker pollution controls than those set for the country as a whole.

Ambient air quality is measured by using a pollutant standards index (PSI). PSI data are relayed to areas with populations of more than 200,000 people, where the public can use the information to assess air pollution levels (e.g., good, moderate, or hazardous). The PSI focuses on roughly 24-hour periods, allowing individuals to take precautionary measures to avoid acute health effects.